While the Sovereign-class was not a key player in the Dominion War, such vessels as the Enterprise-E spent time during the war putting out diplomatic "brush fires" and extending the occasional olive branch, as the Federation Diplomatic Corps were busy attempting to put an end to the war. (Star Trek: Insurrection)

Sometime after the Enterprise's mission in the Briar Patch and before the engagement with the Reman warship Scimitar, a refitting of the Enterprise-E took place. The major changes included five additional torpedo tubes and four additional phaser arrays. A slight change in the warpnacelle pylons was also implemented. The Enterprise was able to deploy these new systems in 2379, prior to its mission to Romulus. (Star Trek Nemesis)

The Sovereign-class originally employed twelve phaser arrays at key locations throughout the ship's hull. Seven dorsal phaser arrays were located on the primary hull, one extending around the saucer section, giving it an oval appearance. Six smaller arrays covered the aft dorsal firing arcs and were located along the aft portion of the saucer section, above the main shuttlebay.

Four ventral phaser arrays were located on the primary hull, extending around in nearly a half circle on both the starboard and port ventral sides of the saucer section. A single phaser array was located along the ventral section of the engineering hull, running perpendicular to the hull. (Star Trek: First Contact; Star Trek: Insurrection) During the refit, four were added to the trailing edges of the warp nacelle pylons (one dorsal and one ventral for each pylon) bringing the phaser array count to sixteen. (Star Trek Nemesis)

In her original configuration, the Sovereign-class mounted five torpedo launchers. The "main" launcher was located on the ventral portion of the saucer on a turret and was supplemented by one twin-tube launcher, forward and aft at the bottom of the secondary hull. The refit saw the addition of five more tubes: three on the dorsal saucer section (a single tube facing forward on deck 3 and a twin-tube launcher facing aft [located above the aft saucer airlock]) as well as two on the secondary hull, both facing aft – one above and one below the secondary hull shuttlebay. (Star Trek: First Contact; Star Trek Nemesis)

Interior design

Layout

The USS Enterprise-E's Master Systems Display on the bridge

In terms of deck layout, the upper sections of the Sovereign-class starship formed the command section and living areas, while the lower decks housed main engineering and fuel supplies.

As is traditional, deck numbering ascended from top to bottom. At the top of the saucer section was Deck 1, which housed the main bridge. This deck also held the more recent modifications of an observation lounge, a ready room for the ship's captain, and an airlock with attached cabin.

Decks 10 through 14 completed the primary hull of the Sovereign-class starship, and also encompassed forward and aft cargo bays on decks 10 and 11, and phaser systems on deck 11. The stellar cartography department aboard the Sovereign-class was located on deck 11. Sensors and the secondary navigational deflector were found on deck 12.

A Sovereign-class corridor at red alert

Deck 13, which was taken up almost entirely by deuterium fuel tanks, marked the real split between the habitable areas and the engineering and ship's storage sections. Main engineering and its related systems – such as the EPS power taps, the central matter/antimatter reaction chamber, support labs, and the engineering computer core – were spread over decks 14 through 18.

Deck 14 was largely dedicated to engineering systems, and also featured the lower sensor platform. Decks 15 through 18 comprised the main navigational deflector array and an auxiliary bridge, which was also known as the battle bridge.

Deck 16 also featured the launch and retrieval mechanism for the captain's yacht. The yacht was lowered by a set of gantries until its engines extended to operational position and then it would be free to maneuver.

Command and control systems

The computer system on board the Sovereign-class were bio-neural gel pack-based. Computer systems were concentrated in two computer cores. The primary core was located directly below the main bridge on decks 6 through 8. The secondary core was located in the engineering section, adjacent to environmental control, on decks 15 through 17.

Main bridge of a Sovereign-class starship

Primary operational control of the ship was provided by the main bridge, located at the top of the primary hull. The bridge directly supervised all primary mission operations and coordinated all departmental activities.

Main bridge of a Sovereign-class starship in 2373

The central area of the main bridge provided seating and information displays for the captain and two other officers. The captain's chair was raised from the rest of the bridge officers to the height of the surrounding level, which included tactical and operations. The two officer seats were equipped with fully programmable consoles for a variety of uses.

Directly fore of the command area was the conn officer, who faced the main viewer. To the port side of the conn officer, also facing the main viewscreen, was the operations officer's console, which was identical in size and design to the helm station.

The Ops and Conn stations in front of the viewscreen

At the very front of the bridge chamber was a large viewscreen. When the screen was not active, a standard bulkhead was present.

Aft and to the left of the command area was an elevated platform on which tactical and security consoles were located. To the captain's right, behind the tactical console, was the mission operations section of the bridge. Against the starboard side walls of the main bridge were the consoles for sciences, along with others that were programmable for a multitude of functions.

The observation lounge

Located against the aft wall of the bridge was a large master systems display monitor, similar to the one in engineering. All relevant ship information (such as damage, power distribution, etc.) could be displayed on this cutaway image of the vessel. This monitor could be used to direct ship operations and could be configured for limited flight control if necessary.

Also located against the aft wall of the main bridge was the large engineering console. This had a smaller cutaway diagram of the vessel, which displayed all engineering-relevant data and showed warp fields and engine output.

There were two turbolifts on the bridge. There was also an emergency ladder that connected the bridge to lower decks. Additionally, the bridge provided direct access to the observation lounge, which was located directly aft of the bridge, and the captain's ready room. (Star Trek: First Contact)

Ready room

The ready room

The captain's ready room doubled as an office and a second private cabin in addition to the commanding officer's private quarters. It was located off the starboard side of the main bridge on deck 1, and provided a place where the captain could work or rest while remaining next to the bridge in case of an emergency. Meetings between the captain and one or two people would also take place here.

In one corner there was a simple, narrow bed with a small bookcase over it. Toward the rear of the room was a desk with a computer console.

In a corner behind the desk was a doorway which led into a bathroom containing a sonic shower. Below a mirror was a sink that had no visible controls; the water came on automatically when hands were placed beneath the faucet, and went off when they were withdrawn.

Usually, the ready room would be decorated by its occupant by adding a number of personal ornaments.

Warp 8 is the highest speed a Sovereign-class ship was known to have traveled on-screen. According to Star Trek: Starship Spotter, the maximum warp of the Sovereign-class ship was warp factor 9.7. However, Star Trek Evolutions gives the Sovereign a maximum warp of 9.985. The latest edition of "Star Trek: Ships of the Line" gives the Sovereign class a maximum warp speed of 9.995.

Main engineering contained the controls for the warp and impulse drive systems. Entrance to the primary engineering spaces was provided by two large blast doors, a pair each deck on decks 15 and 16, that could be closed for internal or external security reasons, as well as in case of emergencies. It was much larger than on previous starship classes and was split into three levels to accommodate the warp core, which spanned several decks.

The majority of controls were situated on the main deck (deck 16) and an upper level gantry. Arranged around the warp core stack were a number of control consoles that could be reconfigured to emulate all the command controls on the bridge.

The largest work station was the master systems display, which was used to monitor the status of all key systems and could comfortably accommodate four personnel. There were also various wall displays, including a schematic that showed the 'health' of the warp propulsion system.

The deuterium tanks were above the core, while antimatter storage pods surrounded the base of the core. Two large cylindrical tanks were positioned next to the warp core and contained highly dangerous plasma coolant. Two rectangular power transfer conduits fed off from the warp reaction chamber and angle out of main engineering to the port and starboard warp nacelles. (Star Trek: Insurrection)

It is unknown at this time exactly what role the reactor core force field played in protecting the ship. During its only shown use, the force field was disabled in battle mere minutes after it was activated. How this helps the ship is a mystery due to the lack of a force field around the reaction chamber. However, this could possibly be to protect it when the engineering crew fights intruders.

A similar tactic was employed in "Day of Honor" by B'Elanna Torres when she had a level 10 force field surround USS Voyager's main engineering right before she ejected the warp core. It may also help contain a warp core breach and stop, or slow it, from spreading.

Crew support systems

It seems that Sovereign-class starships did not have the extensive provisions for civilian personnel that her Galaxy-class predecessors were designed with, as no civilians were seen on board. Married personnel, however, were permitted to share quarters. (Star Trek Nemesis)

Medical facilities

The main Sovereign-class sickbay

The secondary Sovereign-class sickbay, including the ship's EMH

One large sickbay facility, located on deck 7, served as the primary care facility on Sovereign-class starships. Equipped with six standard and one advanced biobed, sickbay was also home to the chief medical officer's office and a small lab used for routine analysis of patients. (Star Trek Nemesis)

This was a reuse of the standing set used on Star Trek: Voyager. Since only a single short scene was to take place here, the set was relit and used with minimal alterations to save budget.

The room itself was considered to be general purpose, and was often the location of regular crew physicals, appointments, and various medical emergencies – it could effectively handle the majority of situations that a starship crew would face. (Star Trek: First Contact)

Crew quarters

Senior officers' quarters

Officers' quarters bedroom

The arrangement of living quarters was designed to be modular, so that at any time a particular area could be reconfigured to create larger or smaller residential areas. Most living areas were located on the upper and lower surfaces of the saucer section, offering residents a remarkable view of the starscape outside their windows.

As was common on Starfleet vessels, the living accommodations for senior officers and VIPs were larger than standard crew quarters. Officers' quarters usually included a living area in the center of the dwelling, which held a personal workstation, couch, replicator, and a small dining area.

Connected to this was a bedroom that featured a double-sized bed and room for personal belongings. Normally, the bedroom would be connected by a half-bathroom with wash basin, mirror, toilet, several drawers, and a sonic shower. For senior staff, this bathroom was usually upgraded to a full-sized bathroom with bathtub. (Star Trek: Insurrection)

Auxiliary spacecraft systems

Located at the dorsal stern of the primary hull, the main shuttlebay took up a significant portion of the aft section of decks 6 through 9 on the Sovereign-class. Due to the mission profile of the Sovereign, the shuttlebay extended further than normal for a vessel its size to accommodate runabouts and several shuttlecraft.

The secondary shuttlebay was located at the very aft portion of the engineering hull. This bay, while smaller than the main facility, was just as capable of handling flight operations as the main shuttlebay. (Star Trek: First Contact)

In addition to shuttlecraft, the Sovereign class also featured a captain's yacht, designed for special diplomatic missions. The yacht on board the Enterprise-E was named the Cousteau. (Star Trek: Insurrection)

Escape pods

The Sovereign-class starship carried a number of escape pods. In the event of a catastrophic emergency, these pods served the same purpose as the lifeboats of a water-based vessel and ensured the continued survival of passengers and crew after the primary vessel had to be abandoned.

The escape pods were located throughout the Sovereign-class starship's primary and secondary hulls: there were two rows of pods on the dorsal side of the command saucer, and two on the ventral side. Further rows of pods lined each side of the engineering hull.

Unlike the escape pods utilized on the Galaxy- and Intrepid-class, there was no outer hatch that opened for launch. (VOY: "Year of Hell") Instead, the heat shield of the escape pod lay flush with the Sovereign-class ship's outer hull. Personnel entered the pods through hatches that lined sections of the ship's corridors, and a situation display monitor was located between the pods.

Each hatch swung open on a hinge at the bottom, creating a short ramp from the floor of the corridor into the interior of the capsule. The pods were equipped with heat shields for atmospheric entry and landing if a suitable planet could be found to set down on. (Star Trek: First Contact)

The official cutaway poster of the vessel that was released for First Contact designates the ship as an "Explorer Type 2".

It appears that the Sovereign-class had at least two sickbay facilities, given sources in Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek Nemesis that indicate sickbays on decks 8 and 16. The Sovereign-class was not the first class of vessel to have several sickbays; for example, Beverly Crusher was seen evacuating a sickbay in the engineering hull of the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek Generations, as well as being treated in the engineering hull sickbay herself in "The Arsenal of Freedom".

Studio model

Size

Most sources agree that the Enterprise-E was 2,248 feet (685.2 meters) long. John Eaves described the rationale as follows:

"When the "E" had a final approved design, we drew up a chart of all the Enterprises in profile. Herman [Zimmerman] and I set down a whole bunch of cutouts of the "E" in various sizes to see where this new ship should scale with the others. We found one size that looked appropriate and we put a scale to its length and that would be 2,248 feet. Rick [Sternbach] was waiting to do the blueprints and add his creativity to the design, so we gave him a drawing with this one measurement. From there he sized the whole ship ..." [2]

The length of 2,248 feet can also be seen in John Eaves' size charts for Star Trek: Insurrection. [3] The Star Trek Nemesis size chart puts it at 2,250 feet, but since all the other figures in the chart are expressed to the nearest ten feet, we don't know whether this was a size revision or mere rounding for the purposes of this chart. [4]

Refit

According to John Eaves, the Enterprise-E was to have been retrofit at the end of Star Trek Nemesis but due to budgetary reasons and script changes the Enterprise was only seen being repaired in dry dock. "For the end of the film the badly destroyed and damaged E is being rebuilt in space-dock. This is where the opportunity was given to really fix all the lines and flow to match the roots of where the original drawing had left off. Not too often does one gets the chance to rework a beloved piece of art, and I was so happy to get the chance regardless of how minor the changes were."

"The drawings were done and to be seen as the E leaves the space-dock at the end of Nemesis, with what we were hoping to get approval on being the new Aztec patterned paint job, that was so prominent with all the preceding variations of the Enterprise. As production went on, it was becoming clear that Nemesis was going to be the last of the TNG movies and thus, the E would fly no more. Very sad thoughts, and I was so hoping to at least to get to see that final version fly off into space... Budget and script changes kept the E in the bay under repair so all that exists of the big finish only exists on paper as a bunch of plans." [5]

Apocrypha

Sovereign-class starships have been mentioned often in novels and games. A role-playing game supplement from Decipher mentions the Sovereign, Yorktown, and Independence.

Star Trek: Bridge Commander and Star Trek: Legacy list a likely and widely-accepted registry number for the Sovereign as NX-73811 (later NCC-73811). Other games mentioning the Sovereign are the role-playing game supplements The Price of Freedom from Last Unicorn Games and Starships from Decipher. In Star Trek: Legacy there were several Sovereign-class starships seen in the campaign, including the Enterprise,Sovereign, Davis, and Legacy.

The Sovereign-class is also the most powerful class available to the player in the game Star Trek: Armada, with the variant timeship USS Premonition also including a temporal weapon which allowed the player to pause time in local areas. This ship has never been mentioned anywhere else and due to the events of the game may never have existed (due to changes in the timeline by the player's actions.)

In Star Trek: Armada II, one Sovereign-class starship is the Saratoga. In both games, the Sovereign-class has a special weapon called the "Corbomite Reflector" which deflects enemy torpedoes, sometimes right back at the ship that fired them.

In Star Trek Online, the Sovereign-class starship is an "Assault Cruiser", available to those with the rank of Rear Admiral. The Vice Admiral variant comes with metreon gas canisters and a special quantum torpedo launcher. Between the free-to-obtain version, the Rear Admiral variant, and the Fleet variant, there are five classes: Sovereign, Regent, Majestic, Noble, and Imperial. The mirror universe version of these classes are referred to as "Star Cruiser".